Yes, I am a slight bit ornery.

New Year’s Eve was quiet. New Year’s Day was just as quiet. We spent the afternoon with friends eating chili and watching the games. I made a corn bread that turned out pretty bland, but this was on purpose. My Huck immediately knew it wasn't my normal but that was because I was advised the clan isn't big on big flavors. So I toned down my normal flair for adding spices and whatnot to create the semi-home made love on a plate I'm known to make (I also used a box mix that is not my normal brand). Well, the lady of the house ate it and from what I understand that’s almost a miracle. Snaps for me! The man of the house was a little riled up though, thankfully not about my bland corn bread. There was talk about an annual Christmas letter sent out by Huck's parents and how I was mentioned at least five times or so and not even one peep about him. He was puzzled why he wasn't mentioned considering how much he loves them, possibly even more than their own son ;) I was promised I would be able to read the annual recap but still haven’t seen this letter. I figured if they said anything bad I wouldn't have heard about it second hand. But yes, that’s your sweet Baby Girl, dropping a casual hint. 

Our friends had sent us home with a ton of fried chicken. I decided to make potato salad to go with it for dinner the next day so I asked Huck if he wanted old fashioned or German style. He wanted to test my abilities and decided German style was the best way to do so. Challenge accepted! Well, I searched the Inter-webs high and low for a suitable variation of what to me is an authentic German style potato salad. What I did not realize is the traditional recipes do not call for mayonnaise or sour cream and that truly surprised me. I figured I had been wrong in my thinking all these years and decided to follow one of the traditional recipes found on the Inter-webs. I will say I am so proud of how good it tasted! And then I served it. Huck looked at it like a confused puppy. You know, with his head tilted to the right? He was instantly skeptical. I think he almost didn't try it. He kept eyeballing it like it was going to leap out of the serving dish. Why? It looked nothing like his mother’s traditional German style potato salad with mayo and tomatoes (which he grew up eating) made from a recipe given by a German cook while in Germany. Go figure.

With potatoes remaining and taking up space in the pantry I decided it was a great idea to make potato soup. A friend from work was telling me how good her recipe was so I asked her to share and she did obligingly. I stopped at the grocer on the way home to pick up a few missing items. When I got home I took care of the fur-babies, Annie and Sunshine. After they had their evening constitutional I got to work on the soup. As everything starts to come together I realize, wow! This is darn good soup! I text Huck to tell him I might be getting arrested. He text me back immediately asking what on earth was going on. I responded, “My potato soup is so good it’s criminal!” He didn't find the humor in that. I think I actually gave him a mini heart attack. I can't cry wolf ever again that's for sure. I'll of course never reach his level of ornery. Huck is still, and will remain, the King and Master of Ornery - I'll never reach his level because I'm him but nicer. I will admit here the whole "getting arrested" idea is slightly borrowed but totally spun out to fit right in to my level of ornery. It brings me back to the times I used to tell the Lady stories about my after school adventures with Hawaii and Re-run. A few times I think she actually believed me!

Vietnamese bánh gio or Echto-slime

Huck and I will be spending a low key Martin Luther King Day together. We have a day trip planned to Northern Cuba to get some personal business out of the way. When I lived down that way years ago my daddy and I found a little street side market that sells exotic local fruit and vegetables. I’ll be taking Huck there to check it out. They make juices, smoothies, and shakes so I am anxious to try one since I never did while I lived down there. I’m bent on getting Huck to try something new though his trust threshold with my suggestions is low at this point (the Vietnamese echto-slime and Into the Woods come to mind) but this adventure will hopefully provide me with some story material to share with y'all in the future.